Renowned American rock climber Alex Honnold has successfully completed a breathtaking ascent of a 101-story tower in Taiwan, undertaking the daring climb without the use of ropes, as it was streamed live on Netflix.
The 40-year-old climber achieved the remarkable feat on Sunday morning by scaling the Taipei 101 skyscraper, which stands at an impressive 1,667 feet. Once the tallest building in the world, Honnold tackled the structure using his renowned free solo technique.
A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd gathered at street level as Honnold triumphantly reached the top of the tower’s spire, concluding the climb in approximately 90 minutes. Clad in a red short-sleeve shirt, he celebrated his victory by energetically waving his arms above his head.
The streets surrounding Taipei 101 were packed with thousands of onlookers who erupted in celebration when Honnold paused at the summit to capture a selfie.
In a touching moment, Honnold’s wife, Sanni, joined him near the top and greeted him with a kiss as he prepared to descend using a rope. She had been watching from the ground and then made her way up for a closer view.
To the relief of both Netflix viewers and onlookers, Honnold opted for the elevator for his descent back to ground level, with the wind swirling around the iconic skyscraper.
Alex Honnold has completed his attempt at scaling a 101-storey tower without ropes in Taiwan
Honnold needed a ladder for part of the climb because it was impossible for him to do it without
Honnold (pictured in red at the bottom of the picture) is climbing Taiwan’s 1,667ft skyscraper
People inside Taipei 101 took photos of Honnold as he climbed past them in remarkable scenes
Honnold is climbing without ropes, live on Netflix – although the feed has a 10-second delay
He looked composed throughout his climb, talking to Netflix host Elle Duncan throughout and even asking why his music had stopped playing as he tackled steel and glass surfaces.
Known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park´s El Capitan, Honnold climbed up one corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds.
Periodically, he had to maneuver around and clamber up the sides of large ornamental structures that jut out from the tower, pulling himself up with his bare hands.
The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors of the middle section – the ‘bamboo boxes’ that give the building its signature look.
Divided into eight, each segment has eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing followed by balconies, where he took short rests as he made his way upward.
Honnold’s ascent had to be put back 24 hours due to wet weather conditions in the city on Saturday morning. The broadcast was also on a 10-second delay.
The much-anticipated event has caused excitement across the globe but has led to some fans questioning the 40-year-old’s motive, as he is a married father of two girls.
Built in 2004, Taipei 101 features mostly glass curtain walls, with balconies near the top.
Honnold waves to the thousands of fans who lined the streets around the building to watch
Honnold is married to wife Sanni and they share two young daughters: June and Alice
Cheers erupted from a gathered crowd as he started climbing the tower on Sunday morning
Honnold is not be the first climber to ascend the skyscraper but would be the first to do so without a rope.
French rock climber Alain Robert scaled the building on Christmas Day in 2004, as part of the grand opening of what was then the world’s tallest building.
He took nearly four hours to finish, almost twice as long as what he anticipated, while nursing an injured elbow and battered by wind and rain.
Honnold, who had been training for months, previously said he did not think the climb would be hard.
He said he had practiced the moves on the building. Speaking on a climbing podcast, he added: ‘I don’t think it’ll be that extreme.
‘We’ll see. I think it’s the perfect sweet spot where it’s hard enough to be engaging for me and obviously an interesting climb.’
